5 QUESTIONS WITH CHRISTOPHER BEDFORD OF THE DAILY CALLER

Christopher Bedford is an editor at The Daily Caller, where he writes a column and does a weekly video round-up (as a Boston conservative sees the news). He is the vice chairman of the Young American for Freedom board of governors, and is a former editor of their magazine, The New Guard. He is a 2012-2013 Young Conservatives Coalition fellow and was a 2010-2011 associate at the Charles G. Koch Institute. He was raised in Massachusetts, now lives on Capitol Hill, and was kind enough to join us today as our guest in 5 questions.

RM: When did you begin to really enjoy writing? During that period of time did you know that politics would be your strong suit?

CB: It took me a while to really enjoy writing. I used to scribble out thoughts in high school and earlier, but even today, sitting down and starting something isn’t just a relaxed pastime.

What I love about writing is how the smallest tweaking of order, phrasing and punctuation has a massive effect. I love picking the right subject, and then the right words to engage readers and spur action, or at least thought. But writing is still work! Fortunately, I love my work.

Regarding politics, I always knew that was what I was passionate about, and where I wanted to work. Political writing is a ton of fun. And there is no shortage of fodder.

RM: What’s the best way that you could sum up our current political state in one paragraph? Do you think it will always be that way?

CB: I feel conservative around libertarians, and libertarian around conservatives. I imagine my ideas for political prescriptions will shift over time, but my bedrock principles, as most articulately expressed in the Sharon Statement, are timeless, and will continue.

RM: In your opinion, who is the most annoying person in the media? What is it about them that annoys you so much?

CB: Though Piers Morgan is a close runner-up, I’d have to go with Martin Bashir on this one. He epitomizes the self-absorbed, self-important, condescending media personality. I suspect he looks at Americans, our history, our culture, our religion, our politics, like an amateur scientist looks at apes: He observes us, but he doesn’t understand our experience, and his constant attempts to interpret our lives fall flat.

Oh, and his tone and even his expressions. It’s like his “guys I’m the most serious in the world” face. Everything he says drips with faked gravitas. I wonder what happens when he tells kids he has a present for them — do they cry?

RM: My favorite show on television is “Red Eye”, and that’s how I came across you and what you do…What is the set of that show like? Is it as fun as it looks on TV?

CB: Glad to hear it! Mine too. Shockingly, Red Eye is even more fun in person than it is to watch. The gang over there bring together a lot of very cool people, and no one I’ve met fakes it: Gutfeld really is an hysterical guy; Bill really is insane (and also very smart); and during commercial breaks, the whole conversation just keeps right on rolling.

RM: What’s the best thing that could happen to America right now? Do you think that it will?

CB: I think the best thing that could happen is a reawakening of the American spirit: People to tell the government that we don’t want or need a lifetime nanny, and to refuse the bribes it peddles to make states, towns and families dependent. We saw stirrings in 2010, and I don’t think the tea party is dead, but it isn’t sufficient. An awakening will take more than street activism, and will likely require the rebuilding of the family unit in our day-to-day lives.

I think that this absolutely could happen. Our country has been through dark spells before; and our country has awakened from those as well.

I’m not foolish enough to think mankind ever had some golden age of liberty or family values, but I am troubled by today’s soft decay, and hope we wake up in time.

RM: What’s up next for Christopher Bedford and TheDC in the remainder of 2013? Anything big in the works that we should know about?

CB: Keep an eye on us. Over the past two weeks the media landscape has shifted in dramatic ways — ways that have been in the works for years. This is going to continue, and we at TheDC intend to make our mark.

The Archives

The Archives

Our Rating Scale 0-10:

10 - Outstanding, a Classic
9 - Great, probably on a "Best Of" List
8 - Good, but not great
7 - A solid release
6 - Just a bit above average
5 - Average
4 - Barely worth your time
3 - Weak
2 - Not worth your time
1 - Are you still reading?
0 - You get the Idea.